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Seattle To Phoenix Road Trip With 3 Dogs & A Cockatoo Day 5: Deep Canyon, Tall Cactus

5/7/2014

18 Comments

 
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Good morning from Mather Campground, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona.
Typist: Bethany
The Cascadian Nomads love pet friendly Grand Canyon National Park. We love Mather Campground. We love the Greenway Trail. We love the Rim Trail. We love all the people we met who said what lucky dogs Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley are and what a fortunate parrot Leo is to get to visit such a special place. And. of course, we love the canyon. The views. The smells. The sounds. The Cascadian Nomads truly had a perfect Grand Canyon National Park visit.

We hiked almost the entire Greenway and Rim Trails. It was windy, overcast and cool. My only complaint is that the Greenway Trail is poorly labeled; my map was well used but not always helpful. Lucky for us, there were kind people everywhere and we never felt lost. Most of the people we met were thrilled to meet the dogs and Leo along the leashed (restrained) pet friendly trails. A lot of them wanted to take pictures of our traveling pets. But humans weren't the only ones excited to see our group. The famous Grand Canyon mules were happy to meet us too..
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Hello Grand Canyon mules!
The only time we felt a bit awkward during our hike was when we came across elk on the Rim Trail and on the deserted Greenway Trail very near our campground. The first elk had a large crowd gathered around so I rushed the dogs and Leo through the masses and past the elk. the second elk was way more surprised about us than we were about it. I am not sure if Leo saw the elk but after their initial surprise, the dogs were quiet and respectful of the majestic national park resident.
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The pet friendly Grand Canyon National Park South Rim Trail.
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I think Leo's reaction to the Grand Canyon was my favorite. He seemed in awe. Sadly, the high winds meant he had to remain in the safety of his Popemobile during our hikes. As expected , the dogs loved gazing out into the canyon and sniffing each and every wind gust. There were times that I stopped for a picture and got the feeling the pets wanted to linger and savor the moment even longer than I did.
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It was almost as hard to leave Grand Canyon National Park as it had been to leave Moab. As we drove off of the Grand Canyon rim and down towards Phoenix's valley of the sun, I began to wonder if we should have stayed in the National Park. The outdoor temperature reading on the van climbed to 100 degrees as we drove into the lower elevation city. I don't remember the last time I was in heat like that and I know that none of the pets had ever been in such extreme sun. I did a lot of research on how to keep them safe from dehydration and heat stroke so I tried to relax and enjoy the scenery of this drive through diverse National Forests and into the blooming saguaro filled desert. It was late afternoon when we pulled into Lost Dutchman State Park at the foot of the Superstition Mountains and had cooled to below 90 degrees. We took a slow, quiet stroll through one of the parks fantastic leashed dog friendly trails, bird watching and looking out for snakes, scorpions and spiders (also something I researched a lot before visiting this area.)
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Day 5 drive from Grand Canyon National Park to Phoenix, Arizona.
This day was truly grand, from canyon to cactus, Arizona has been a wonderful place for the Cascadian Nomads to visit so far. As I marvel at the diversity of this road trip, I can't help but wonder what Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley and Leo think. Do they also think it is fascinating that in just a few hours we went from being surrounded by a high elevation pine forest to hiking in the shadows of massive cacti? It is pondering questions like this, while watching the pets explore strange wonderlands, that make every second of effort to travel with my pets absolutely worth it.
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Welcome to Phoenix, Arizona. (Lost Dutchman State Park.)
Please forgive any & all rough spots in this post as it has been done on mobile from the road! We will be reading and enjoying your comments but, due to being on the road, it will be difficult for us to respond right away. Thanks for understanding and for coming along on our adventure.
18 Comments
Molly The Wally link
5/6/2014 09:42:28 pm

Wow we think that is so cool Leo in his Popemobile. He must love it. Great seeing the majestic Elk but we too would have been a bit worried. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Best wishes Molly

Reply
Sassmuffins link
5/8/2014 07:33:31 am

These photos are FABULOUS! You have give me encouragement to perhaps try traveling with at least our dog. Just can't see it with 4 cats, but think our cairn terrier Gracie would probably do great. She would just not know what to think of the big world. Your guys seem so truly appreciative of their travels!

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Bethany
6/6/2014 09:31:55 am

Thank you, Sassmuffins. If Jason comes with me on the next big road trip, Amelia will be joining us. I think she'd love it. But that is one cat. One. :)

Bethany
6/6/2014 09:30:36 am

Leo has always loved his Popemobile. We named it that because he knows he is impenetrably safe in there. The second, campground elk was the most beautiful (and most worrisome) but the one closer to the canyon clearly lived on a park trash diet and looked kind of weak and sad.

Reply
Debra Bettis
5/6/2014 11:39:55 pm

Please let me know if you need anything while you are in the valley of the sun. Our dog friendly house is always willing to shelter or support weary travelers. While not pet-friendly the MIM Musical Instrument Museum is world-class and unique. South Mountain Park has a range of trails fully pet friendly hiking but not stroller/wagon navigable. Pet-friendly dining abounds and it is unseasonably cool.

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Bethany
6/6/2014 09:33:44 am

I cannot tell you how happy your comment made me while we were on the road and how much it made me wish we had more time in your lovely valley! I am determined to return!

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Roxy the traveling dog link
5/7/2014 12:12:00 am

I haven't been to the Grand canyon in years, it is awesome. I'm glad you found some pet friendly trails there.

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Bethany
6/6/2014 09:34:28 am

I found out later that we hiked well over 13 miles of pet friendly trails. Not bad!

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Taryn link
5/7/2014 01:00:23 am

I especially wonder what Leo thinks of it all. Birds are far more intelligent than most people realize, so I bet he is fascinated by what he sees.

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Bethany
6/6/2014 09:37:42 am

You're right, Taryn. I especially got the feeling at the Grand Canyon that he knew what a special place it was. The look on his face when he first saw it was priceless! And with so many people stopping to tell him how lucky he was to be there, how could he not know?

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Rebekah link
5/7/2014 07:25:01 am

Looks like you are having a great time.

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Bethany
6/6/2014 09:38:33 am

The Grand Canyon has always been one of my favorite places but sharing it with my four best friends was... indescribable.

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Chewy the Golden link
5/8/2014 02:16:02 am

These are the cutest family vacation photos!

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Bethany
6/6/2014 09:39:50 am

Thank you! A few people passing by said things like "that one is for a frame" or "there's the family Christmas card." But I wouldn't know which ones to pick! :)

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Felissa link
5/9/2014 07:46:07 am

You've got to be the bravest person alive. I couldn't take all of those lovely creatures with us on a family road trip. I love the carrier for Leo though. Too cute!

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Bethany
6/6/2014 09:42:53 am

I definitely had my doubts about taking Leo but once he saw the Grand Canyon... I wouldn't/couldn't have done the road trip any other way!

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Marquie link
5/12/2014 02:32:42 am

So many beautiful pictures! It looks like a fun and lovely tip. Makes me wish Petal and I had followed you! ;)

Reply
Bethany
6/6/2014 09:43:24 am

That would have been so fun!

Reply

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